The Lost Fairy
The Lost Fairy, A Fairypunktale is a 2019 album written and produced by Paul Shapera. It is the final installment in The Fairypunk Trilogy. The album was released on Monday, August 26, 2019, following a live-stream on Paul Shapera's YouTube channel on Sunday, August 25. The album features Liel Bar-Z, Paul Shapera, Oliver Marsh, Psyche Chimere, Kerttu Aarnipuu, Lauren Osborn, Vivian Moonic. Ivan Vukadinović performed a guitar solo. The cover art was created by Shibara, who created the cover for The Forgotten Meme and The Broken Cyborg. Plot Act I The album opens with Han Mi telling the listeners about the fall Avalon at the hands of the Cascadian forces. The sole survivor is Symbel the Fairy. Symbel runs away sings about the nature of men, who always come with fire and guns. She grieves her dead sisters and finally says that her grief would not last long as the soldiers are about to reach her (Ocn Ahgg Ja Hqhgji Orj). Jakob Jansson sings of the day he learned of the death of his parents. He was a child, eight years old, and did not fully understand what was going on. He remembers that the city of Victoria was gone and replaced by Avalon. He remembers stories of the fairies, who were blamed for the destruction. In his grief, a voice from inside his head comforted him. It was Jesse, his unborn twin brother. Jakob and Jesse formed a pact, where Jakob surrendered the control of his left arm to Jesse. However, their personalities were not the same, as Jakob was consumed by rage and Jesse by sadness. The twins enlisted in the army and climbed through the ranks. Afterward they joined a Cascadian elite team and waited for the inevitable war against the fairies. Once it started, they moved with their unit, called Cascadian Hellhounds and destroyed Avalon. However, destroying the city and all but a single fairy was not enough, so they followed Symbel, vowing never to rest until they see her dead (Ejfke Ehinnji). ] Symbel ran aimlessly until she was cornered, lost and wounded. She was waiting for the soldiers to kill her when Jane told her to take her hand and run. With the Hellhounds behind them, Jane and Symbel run. Symbel asks why Jane is helping her and Jane says she is trying to find the lost fairies from Avalon. She wants to take the survivors to a city days away and says she would give her life to bring Symbel to safety. Symbel, however, wants to give up, torn by the grief for her people. Jane then tells her she felt much the same once but adds that she can now atone and is prepared to die. Han Mi takes over and tells of their escape. On their path is a gathering of the executives of a tech company Ablegeist. They are holding an annual party for the richest and most privileged and do not know that Jane and Symbel are racing toward them with Hellhounds hot on their trail. Jane and Symbel burst in and managed to hide in the cellar moments before the Hellhounds stormed the mansion. When Jacob asked an old man, leaning casually against the door to the cellar, where Jane and Symbel were, the man shrugged. Han Mi says that Jakob then leaves the mansion with his unit, but Jakob refuses and claims that Symbel is bound to be in the cellar. Han Mi keeps trying to push the unit away from the mansion, but Jakob keeps refusing. Screeching sounds appear and Han Mi panics. Raven and Lloyd Allen explain to Han Mi that the narrative is about to break and that she has lost control over it. They tell her to follow the story or else it would rip apart. They tell her to be gentle with the narrative and to improvise. Han Mi gives in and lets Jakob and his unit enter the cellar, but also says that at that moment Jane spies a secret trap door leading to the ancient tunnels. Lloyd protests that the tunnels had been done before (a reference to the previous album in which Xander Cale, Jane and a group of refugees fled the attack through the same tunnels), but Raven suggests that Jane and Symbel head to the Dwarves. Raven claims that the Dwarves are interesting and that the narrative would keep Jane safe until she reaches them. Lloyd agrees. Han Mi listens to their advice and nudges Jane and Symbel to the tunnels and toward the Dwarves (Ocn Mhln Rn Mpi). Act II The second act opens with the Mayor of New Albion singing about having to do everything by herself. She reveals that one night she came home early and found a note from her son saying that he left to live in the park (which is an independent state of Xandoria in the heart of New Albion). So now, the Mayor is travelling to the park. She also reveals that Cascadian army is on its way to Xandoria to take out all the fairies residing there. With war threatening New Albion, despite knowing that Xandoria hates her, the Mayor is heading there to make a pact so that they all have a fighting chance against the invaders. Finally, the Mayor enters the borders but experiences some sort of trans as the fabric of nature there is unwound (Ocn Hhtjm). Han Mi says that Xandoria has been unresponsive for the outside inquiries for some time. She says that the few reports that leaked out made no sense and talked about the unspeakable changes to the nature itself. The Xandorians then sing about the lines between the nature, magic and technology and of their progress toward erasing those lines and reaching singularity. Han Mi says that this did not deter the Mayor, who went to negotiate with the current leader of Xandoria, the Forgotten Meme (Shiejmdh). The Meme sings of loss of her wife, Rebecca, who was killed by the Blood Red Dogs, sent to the park by the Mayor. She did not leave her room and was deeply depressed, unable to process her grief. Every day Jane would come and keep her company, and leave her flowers beside her bed. The Meme only started to recover once she finally left her room and spent time with Jane outside (Ocn Hnhn). The Meme and the Mayor meet each other and enter tough negotiations with personal mistrust toward each other. Finally, after the Meme speaks to the other Xandorians, they agree to work together against the Cascadian forces (Ocn Hhtjm Hie Ocn Hnhn). Act III Meanwhile, running through the tunnels, Jane and Symbel talk. Symbel keeps telling Jane that she should just leave her to die. Jane tells Symbel about Xander trusting her when she could not see why. Parallel to it, Jakob and Jesse discuss their feelings. They are tired of their rage. Jesse suggests leaving, not killing Symbel and finally freeing themselves from their path of vengeance, but Jakob immediately dismisses it and says they cannot stop until the last of the vermin is killed, and only then they could be at peace (Ljiqnmnhodjin). Jane and Symbel reach the Dwarves. The Dwarves tell the story of creation of their race, when one of the last surviving gods threw themselves into a well leading to their world and shattered when they hit the ground. They also mention Elysium, claiming that souls do not stay there, but move and circle and merge. The Dwarves say that their wheel is keeping the world together. They say that in the process of creation some post-humans would emerge to replace the long-dead gods. Finally, they welcome Jane and wish her luck on her way (Ocn Erhmqnn). Jane and Symbel are shown the way to New Albion through the tunnels and as they climb the tunnels appear to have a psychedelic effects on them. Han Mi pushes the narrative forward, saying that Jane and Symbel exited the tunnels near the New Albion waterfront. The city is under a siege and there is fighting all around. Jakob is still on their trail and about to reach them. Han Mi struggles to keep Jane and Symbel safe against a narrative that clearly wants them in danger, but Raven steps in and uses the chaos, destruction and smoke around Jane and Symbel to hide them briefly from Jakob, but not before Jakob shoots Jane through her wing. ] Han Mi thanks Raven and he promises that despite his nature and past sins he would always have her back. Han Mi goes on to describe the destruction of New Albion. Jane and Symbel are running through the chaos toward the park, while the forces of New Albion fight the Cascadian invaders. Blood Red Dogs fight against the Hellhounds, throwing everything they've got on each other. As a new wave of invaders approaches, the Mayor picks up a grenade launcher and walks out to fight. She dies fighting for New Albion (Rhm). Jane and Symbel hide in a store, Marcus' Mattresses, but not for long. Jakob and his unit find them and a fight begins. Two of Jakob's people die and Jakob shoots Jane in his rage, then tries to beat her. However, worrying for Jane, Han Mi refuses to narrate further. She remembers that Jesse is not motivated by rage. So, Han Mi says that just before Jakob manages to reach Jane, Jesse uses his power over the left arm and stops Jakob. Jesse urges Jakob to stop the madness, but Jakob reminds Jesse of the promise they made each other as children, to be there for each other. Jakob went too far and cannot go back. His whole life was about the war and revenge and so long as there are fairies, he cannot go on. Jesse fails and Jakob cuts his own arm to overpower his twin and end what he had started. He holds up the severed arm and moves to kill Jane with it (Ejfken Hmdh). At this point Han Mi cannot go on with the story. She cannot witness Jane dying in this narrative and she turns away from it, defeated. Symbel comforts Jane and thanks her for showing kindness when she thought none was left in the world. Jane finally understands that it was never about a personal happy ending but about attempting to do the right thing. She sings of sacrifice, much the same way Priscilla did. She prepares to die (Ejin Hhfnn Cnm Knhln). Raven and Lloyd step in. Raven explains that the narrative will continue even if Han refuses to be a part of it. Lloyd tells Han that her turning her back on Jane will change nothing and that it was time to pull any tricks she might have up her sleeve. Raven says that Han is creative and competent and that he believes in her. Han takes a moment and says that Jakob pauses before killing Jane as a figure emerges before him. ]] In a surprise twist, Han Mi takes part in the events of the narrative, walks to Jakob and threatens him the same way she threatened Raven when he held Helen hostage. She finishes by telling Jakob that he cannot have Jane, that he cannot take her and that Jane is all that Han loves. Finally, Han slays Jakob and turns to Jane. When Jane asks who Han is, Han explains that Jane knew her once, in a life before this one. Han says that she created this narrative to give Jane a happy life with friends and later on even a lover or two, then she begs for her forgiveness, saying that she had failed her then and cannot bear the guilt. She also says that it is not likely they will see each other again, expresses her love and ensures that Jane's story will be beautiful to tell. Finally, she urges Jane to take Symbel and go to Xandoria as the singularity approaches (Dionmqniodji). As the war still rages around them and New Albion is destroyed, Jane and Symbel reach Xandoria. Jane reunites with the Meme and the singularity is reached. The whole park, which has been redesigned over a long period of time, separates from the rest of the city and becomes a space ship, heading for the sky. Xandor's vision of humans becoming the angels redesigned is in a way fulfilled as the Xandorians leave New Albion below and head for the stars. Raven congratulates everyone on the success of the narrative. Lloyd immediately says his farewells and with excitement announces that he is about to find himself a real body. Raven invites Han for some carrot cake at a lovely place in a little steampunk narrative not too far from there. Han accepts but asks for a moment to get herself together (Ocn Ndibpghmdot). The last song features Han singing to the memory of Helen, telling her that she sometimes visits her house, but that the house is empty. She sings of friendships and their plays and invites them to get together and put on a show (Kpo Ji H Ncjr). Cast and Characters Psyche Chimere as "Han-Mi", the post-human narrator Liel Bar-Z as "Jane", a human/robot hybrid Lauren Osborn as "Symbel", a fairy fleeing the destruction of her city Oliver Marsh as "Jakob Jansson" and "Jesse Jansson", twins sharing a body, a Hellhound soldier set on the destruction of all fairies Vivian Moonic as "The Mayor", the mayor of New Albion Kerttu Aarnipuu as "Meme", the mother of Jane and the leader of Xandoria Paul Shapera as "Raven" and "Lloyd Allen", two post-humans training Han-Mi Cover art by Shibara Soundtrack Continuity * The album confirms that Miss Helen was reincarnated as Jane after her tragic death in The Grand Cyberpunk Gala of Gabriella Gadfly. Han Mi, who mourned Helen's death, created a fairytale narrative around Jane to give Helen's next reincarnation a happy life. * Being the finale of two trilogies, The Lost Fairy manages to wrap up numerous storylines, as well as set the stage for the future works. Paul Shapera announced a space-opera album which seemed to be on hold. With Xandoria functioning as a space ship now, a space-opera is confirmed. However, the album Paul Shapera is working on next is going to be a noir look at New Albion in its dieselpunk era. This too was hinted at in the trilogy, most notably through the electro-swing motifs and a noir look at New Albion in The Forgotten Meme. * Lloyd Allen had a long running arc concerning his body as well as his dislike for New Albion, both of which were concluded in this album. After travelling to a pocket universe attached to Elysium (to rescue Raven's daughter, who would later become Han Mi's grandmother), Lloyd lost his human body and was stuck in a wooden one. He returned only to realize he couldn't find Raven's Carnival. Lloyd spent years in New Albion, wanting to see it burn. He worked as a radio host, most notably hosting The New Albion Radio Hour, where he attempted to destroy the city but failed. Trivia * The Lost Fairy was live-streamed on YouTube for the fans a day before its release. * As was announced, this album was the longest in the trilogy as well as the most intense one. * The Lost Fairy features Lauren Osborn. Despite its bitter-sweet, but generally happy ending, it features a heroic, heart-breaking death of the Mayor of New Albion. This only goes to prove the Evil Lauren Theory. * The album titles are written in keyed caesar cipher. The key for this cipher is "Helen"